Racket frame



Jan. 28, 1936. w. F. REA

Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES RACKET FRAME William F. Reach, Springfield, Mass, assignor to A. G. Spalding & Bros., poration of New Jersey New York, N. Y., a cor- Application April 16, 1934, Serial No. 720,863

6 Claims.

The invention is an improved racket frame construction for tennis or the like.

One object is the provision of a cross grain combination frame construction offsetting the tendency to warpage.

Other objects Will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the features, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of a tennis racket frame embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective view cut through the center of the frame at line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the cross grain construction in detail.

Referring to the drawing, i represents a bowed strip or member comprising the main body portion of the frame and handle. According to the invention, the main body member or strip l is bent or bowed against the edge of the grain as shown at X with the layers of the grain substantially parallel to the plane of the racket instead of with the flat of the grain as has been the practice heretofore.

The screw 3, providing securing means at the throat of the racket frame, being put through the edge grain of the main body member I, is estimated to provide approximately sixty per cent greater strength than where it is put through the flat grain as has been the practice heretofore. In the construction according to the present invention, the screw goes through only one or two of the edge grains of the main body member, whereas in the flat grain bow of the main frame member heretofore used, the screw breaks through all of the grains.

As there would be a tendency to split in the stringing operation, where awls are forced into the holes to bind the string or gut, and also a tendency of the string to pull through the edge grain presented by the main body member I, an outer lamination of one or more pieces is provided, a one piece outer lamination or covering strip being illustrated in the drawing at 2. The covering strip 2 is bent or bowed with the flat grain and together with the edge grain bowing of the main body member I, provides a desirable combination of cross grains, which resists the tendency toward warpage.

The outer lamination or covering strip 2 may be continued along substantially the full length of the racket frame and handle, as shown in the drawing. This enables the screw 3-to be first put in at the throat of the main body strip I and then the outer lamination or covering strip 2 is applied providing a continuous unbroken and undrilled outer surface which gives increased strength over the present practice of running the 5 screw entirely through.

It has been common practice, in the chamfering of tennis racket frames, to leave the outer circumference square and to chamfer the inner edges, presumably to give additional clearance for the ball. In the construction according to the present invention, in order to maintain as much as possible of the edge grain stock, the frame is not chamfered on the inside, but is left square on the inside, as shown at Ia, while the outside or covering strip 2 is chamfered, as shown at 2a. A preponderance of wood is thus provided in the frame at its inner circumference, which, being smaller than the outer circumference, provides increased stifiness against stringing strain. This reversal of the chamfer from the inner circumference to the outer circumference of the frame not only lends increased stiffness against stringing strain due to the preponderance of wood at the smaller circumference, but also removes more wood by the external chamfer over approximately a two inch greater length, thereby reducing the head weight.

Any suitable apparatus may be employed for effecting the bending of the main body strip I against the edge grain. After steaming, the center of the strip may be placed at the top of an iron form shaped to the desired bow. The two ends of the strip are then bent downward and pressure is brought in from the sides so that the bent strip conforms to the iron form. This is then looked in place and thoroughly dried out in dry kilns.

I claim:

1. In a wood racket frame for tennis or the like, an inner strip portion with the grain running longitudinally thereof, said inner strip being bowed against the edge of the grain, and an outer strip portion with the grain running longitudinally thereof, said outer strip being bowed with the flat of the grain and overlying said inner strip, providing a cross-grain laminated frame having the layers of the longitudinally extending grain ofv the inner strip substantially parallel to the plane of the racket and the layers of the longitudinally extending grain of the outer strip transverse thereto.

2. A wood racket frame according to claim 1, including a screw passing through the inner strip at the throat with its axis substantially parallel 55 with the edge grain, said outer strip extending grain so that thelayers of the grain are substanlengthwise of the handle :and overlying the head of the screw to provide %a continuous unbroken outer surface.

5 3. A tennis racket comprising an inner strip substantially rectangular in cross section with the grain running longitudinally thereof and bowed against the edge of said grain, and an outer strip secured to the inner strip, said outer 10 strip being chamfered on its outer face, said outer '1 tially parallel to the plane of the racket.

5. A wood racket frame for tennis or the like, comprising a main body member with the grain running longitudinally thereof and bowed against the edge of said grain so that the layers of. the grain are substantially parallel to the plane of the racket, and a covering strip overlying the body member, with the grain of the covering strip runnirig longitudinally thereof and bowed with strip having its grain running longitudinally with 55 the flat of the grain so that the layers of the the layers thereof in a plane substantia angles tdithe plane of the racket fra plane of the grain of the inner strip, 15 having its strings passing through the parallel with the layers of the grain t through the outer strip at right angles'to the layers of the grain thereof.

i 4. A wood racket frame for tennis or 20 comprising a unitary main body member wi grain running longitudinal] member being bowed agai y thereof, said body nst the edge of said lly at right grain are transverse to the plane of the racket me and the f said racket 5 ing a two piece cross grain laminated frame. inner strip 1 hereof and L and to the grain of the body member, provid- 6. A'laminated wood racket frame cmprising inner and outer strips the grain" of which extends longitudinally thereof, one of {said strips being bowed against "the edge of the grain' and the other of said strips being bowed with the fiat oi. the grain.

e like, th the 7 i V WILLIAM F. REACH. 

